Harare. (New Ziana) – Five men including four from the same family have been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder by the High Court on circuit in Gweru, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) has reported.
In a post on its X platform, the NPAZ named the five brothers from Silobela in Midlands province as Mkhululi Ncube (26), Qhubekani Ncube (23), Cabangani Ncube (30) Thulani Ncube (27) who committed the murder with their neighbour Mexen Moyo (28).
Last year, the Judiciary Services Commission (JSC) set up two special circuit courts in the Midlands province in the capital, Gweru and Gokwe to deal with the large number of murder cases in the province.
Most of the violent crimes were spurred by the proliferation of artisanal gold mining spots that saw the influx of artisanal miners, many of who resorted to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of the backbreaking jobs and give them courage to dare the dangers involved.
This in turn led to the emergency of machete gangs fighting to protect their mining claims while others wanted to take over control of the same, often leading to grisly murders. Often ordinary members have been caught up in the vicious cycle.
The NPAZ said the quartet of the Ncube brothers and Moyo brutally attacked Isabel Ndlovu (28) at Linda Business Centre, Silobela, on 30 November 2022, stabbing and assaulting him with knives, logs, and an empty beer bottle. Ndlovu succumbed to his injuries enroute to Kwekwe District Hospital.
Separately the High Court on circuit in Gokwe sentenced Hernish Mugwagwa to 25 years imprisonment for the murder of the complainant that he assaulted with open hands following a misunderstanding.
New Ziana